An Examination of the Various States of the Mystic During and After the Occurrence of the Gnostic Experience (With Emphasis on Ṭabaqāt al-Ṣūfiyya, Asrār al-Tawḥīd, and Sharḥ-e Shaṭḥiyyāt)

Abstract

In Islamic mysticism, the apprehension of the truth of existence is attained neither through sensory perception nor through rational argumentation, but rather through an inner, immediate, and unmediated experience known as the gnostic experience or mystical unveiling (kashf wa shuhūd). This form of knowledge arises from the unveiling of the heart and the awakening of the inner self, elevating the spiritual seeker beyond the level of outward appearances toward the realm of existential truth. Within this perspective, knowledge is understood as existential and experiential; it represents a transformative event that reconfigures the individual’s relationship with the self, the world, and the Divine, influencing all dimensions of human life. The attainment of such knowledge constitutes a gradual process grounded in spiritual wayfaring (sulūk). Along this path, the seeker traverses multiple stages referred to in mystical literature as states (aḥwāl) and stations (maqāmāt). States are transient and involuntary spiritual conditions that emerge through divine attraction, giving rise to experiences such as fear, hope, longing, ecstasy, intimacy, or awe. Stations, by contrast, are more stable spiritual ranks achieved through disciplined striving, ascetic practice, vigilance, and practical adherence to religious law. Purification of the self, continuous remembrance (dhikr), retreat, and the restraint of egoistic desires are considered essential prerequisites of this spiritual journey. At the culmination of this path, the mystical experience occurs—an event marked by profound transformation in ordinary structures of perception, leading the mystic toward ecstasy, bewilderment, and at times a sense of annihilation (fanāʾ) within Absolute Reality. In such moments, ordinary language proves inadequate to articulate the experience, and impassioned utterances known as shaṭḥiyyāt—symbolic or paradoxical expressions conveyed through metaphor and allusion—may emerge. Following the subsiding of spiritual attraction, the mystic may enter a period of silence and contemplation; if the experienced states become stabilized, the individual attains a lasting spiritual station characterized by tranquility, equilibrium, and a worldview imbued with love and compassion. Nevertheless, a fundamental question arises: how are the mystic’s conditions and states described in the stages preceding the experience, during its occurrence, and after its completion? Furthermore, how are these states expressed and represented across different mystical texts? Are such experiences presented within a unified conceptual framework, or does each work articulate them through distinct linguistic and interpretive approaches? The present study addresses these questions through a comparative analysis of three major works of Persian Sufi prose: Ṭabaqāt al-Ṣūfiyya by Khwāja ʿAbdullāh Anṣārī, Asrār al-Tawḥīd by Muḥammad ibn Munawwar, and Sharḥ-e Shaṭḥiyyāt by Rūzbihān Baqlī Shīrāzī. The findings indicate that each text presents the mystic’s states through a distinct structural and linguistic framework—ranging from law-oriented moderation to love-centered and ecstasy-driven modes of expression. This diversity reflects the plurality of mystical discourses in interpreting the gnostic experience and demonstrates the varied stylistic and conceptual strategies through which Sufi prose articulates mystical consciousness.